Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 801,898 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Bessemer Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,246,976 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 801,898 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.7% of Bessemer Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $473,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to post a strong Q1, with sales growth and profit trends likely supporting another earnings beat. Walmart to Post Strong Q1, Extending Retail Lead on Sales Growth, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s earnings history and current setup suggest it could exceed expectations again, which is supporting bullish sentiment into the report. Walmart (WMT) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to attract bullish technical and style-score commentary, with multiple outlets calling it a long-term momentum name. Why Walmart (WMT) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that grocery and restaurant prices are rising may support Walmart’s value proposition and traffic, since consumers often trade down to lower-cost retailers during inflationary periods. Grocery and Restaurant Prices Post Biggest Jump Since 2022
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs as part of a broader restructuring and tech-focused operating simplification. The move could improve efficiency over time, but it also signals ongoing internal change. Walmart cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted continued restructuring and AI/technology investment, which may help long-term competitiveness but does not change the near-term earnings outlook by itself. Walmart Cuts Hundreds Of Corporate Jobs As AI-Driven Efficiency Push Accelerates: Report

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares in the company, valued at $74,334,117.76. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $132.46 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $126.30 and a 200-day moving average of $119.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.06 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.89 and a twelve month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.67.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.